Water tank pick up

Jan 5, 2021
158
Hunter 41 DS Saint Petersburg
I have a 2005 41DS. It seems I have a problem with getting water out of my tanks. I have removed the line from the pickup, placed it in a bucket and it works great. So the lines are clear from the top of the tanks to the filter and pump. I took compressed air and blew it backwards into the tanks, it does gurgle a lot so it seems clear. Reattached the lines with no improvement. I am unclear as to what's inside the tanks for the pickups. I can't get the elbows off of the tanks to pull out the pickups, pipe dope is now solid. Apparently there was a problem with the fill line on my port tank. It looks like the P.O. used a case of caulk to seal it up. I reached out to the P.O., but didn't get a response yet.
Any ideas of what my next step to figure why I am unable to pull enough water out of my tanks to maintain pressure and volume? The starboard tank outwardly appears fine and undamaged, but it has the same problem.
For some reason this was overlooked during the survey by "The Marine Specialists" Richard Davis ASA.
 

Attachments

Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
Could the vent be plugged and the pump is sucking against a vacuum? What does it do if you open the deck fill cap?
 
Jun 14, 2007
170
Hunter 45cc Florida
The pickup tube is the blue line. You need to unscrew the fitting and see if the pickup pipe has broken off inside the tank
 
Jan 5, 2021
158
Hunter 41 DS Saint Petersburg
When I filled the tanks, water does come out of the vent. I haven't tried it with fill caps off, good thought.
I can't get the elbow off where the blue line connects, aged pipe dope. I'm afraid I will damage the tank if I put anymore pressure on that than I already have.
 
Jan 5, 2021
158
Hunter 41 DS Saint Petersburg
I does pull water out of the tank, but not enough to keep up with the pump. So I'm sure the pipe is in there since I can eventually drain the tank by using the faucet. However I can't tell if it maybe cracked and sucking air.
 
Apr 1, 2004
145
Catalina 34 Herring Bay Chesapeake, MD
Since you mentioned it happens on both tanks I belive it has to be at a point that is common to both tanks. If you remove the piping from the output side of the pump do you still have the issue
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Do you have a filter on your pump? Is it clear or clogged. Do you have a check valve in the system that may be stuck? Is there a leak in the system?

Not everything is a clogged intake.
 
Jan 5, 2021
158
Hunter 41 DS Saint Petersburg
The filter prior to the pump is new, the filter at the pump is clear. When I took the blue line off of the tank and put it in a bucket of water it works perfectly. I did that on each tank. So I think the problem is something in the tank. What puzzles me is that it's both tanks. The boat did sit for several months before I bought it. I blew air backwards into the tanks to clear anything in the pickup lines. Still not any better. What are the pickups in the tanks made of and what do they look like? It's going to be a real problem to lift them out of the tanks due to all the ancient pipe dope they are sealed with.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
a real problem to lift them out of the tanks
It sounds like you are confident that all the lines are clear and that you have chased the issue back to the tank pickups.

It seems that you have to bite the bullet and start with one tank to repair the pickup.
 
Jan 5, 2021
158
Hunter 41 DS Saint Petersburg
From where the blue line connects to the tank, seems to be clear since it worked great when I put it in a bucket of water. That test eliminated the tank itself out of the system. I would like to know what to be looking for when I can finally get the pickup out of the tank, hopefully without damaging the tank itself. I haven't been able to find a drawing or information on the pickup inside the tank. Kind of hoping to have that information before I break out the big wrenches. Or maybe I should leave it to a pro to do it.
 
Jan 7, 2011
4,723
Oday 322 East Chicago, IN
Whatever stuff was smeared all over the outside of the tank pickup line may have gotten inside the fitting too.

I assume you don’t have a washout or other way to look inside the tank?

May be time to purchase a washout / inspection port and install…that way you can see inside the tank…

Or yank that gnarly looking fitting off, make sure the pipe/pickup is still there and not clogged, and re-install.

Around 12:00 I show the modification I made to my water tank to allow access…


Good luck,


Greg
 
Jan 7, 2011
4,723
Oday 322 East Chicago, IN
Is your faucet clogged?
He said the system worked fine when pumping from a bucket of water…so doesn’t sound like a faucet proble.

@Rjm st.petersburg , can you blow compressed air through that fitting (into the tank) and see if that blows anything out of the pickup hose? Or can you hear bubbles ? No bubbles could mean the pickup hose is broken off and not down in the water.

Greg
 
Jan 5, 2021
158
Hunter 41 DS Saint Petersburg
Thank you for the video. I do like the wash out ports. I do plan on installing them on each tank. What do the pickups look like, stainless pipes, or hose? I'm thinking maybe a crack in that above the water level.
I am bummed that this didn't come up in survey. That's why I listed the Survey company and surveyor in my original post. Next boat I will hire a surveyor from out of the market area. Only way to make sure they are working for my best interest and not the brokers.
 
Jan 5, 2021
158
Hunter 41 DS Saint Petersburg
I did blow air through the fitting and heard plenty of bubbles. The P.O. was from VA. But kept the boat in FL. If he had it up there in the winter, could it have frozen and caused that damage to the tank and possibly the pickups?
 
Jan 7, 2011
4,723
Oday 322 East Chicago, IN
Thank you for the video. I do like the wash out ports. I do plan on installing them on each tank. What do the pickups look like, stainless pipes, or hose? I'm thinking maybe a crack in that above the water level.
I am bummed that this didn't come up in survey. That's why I listed the Survey company and surveyor in my original post. Next boat I will hire a surveyor from out of the market area. Only way to make sure they are working for my best interest and not the brokers.
I am not sure what your pickup tubes look like…my old O’Day 322 drains from the bottom of the tank, so no pickup tube.

I expect maybe the same Pex tubing as on the outside, but I don’t know.

It seems really strange that you hear bubbles if you blow into the tube, but cannot pull water out…

I am sure it is not a huge problem, but certainly frustrating after having bought the boat.

Maybe get the washout ports installed, then you can see inside and figure out what is happening.

That is the primary reason I installed my washouts…a fitting leaked, and I had no idea how it was secured in the tank…cut a hole in it, figured it out, and installed the port to close it up. Nice to have ever since for cleaning the tank, etc.


Greg
 
Jan 5, 2021
158
Hunter 41 DS Saint Petersburg
It does pull water from the tanks, just not enough to maintain pressure and volume. With the water lines in the bucket it works great. Volume and pressure is maintained, the pumps will cycle and not have to constantly run even with the faucet open.
 
Oct 29, 2016
1,915
Hunter 41 DS Port Huron
Can you describe the problem a bit more clearly, when you open the faucet at the galley what does it do, when you open the faucet in the forward head or forward sink does it do the same thing? and then again in the main head?
Are the port and starboard tank valves open 100%?